HELP!! Growing steer

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

i am having a problem with keeping fat off of him and him growing taller, he seemd to grow then go wide and then i think he sorta stoped and now i think he just grew a little bit taller but not sure.I did have him 1/2 feed 1/2 oats and also gets calf mana and beet pulp. Well since i put him on 4lbs oats 1lb of feed and 1/2 lb of calf mana and 1lb beet pulp (2x a day) he seems to me have lost some of his miuscle and growin maybe?? does anybody else have anything else i should do???

 

[Jill]

How old of calf is this, is it a steer that is finished and your holding or a baby you are starting?

 

[DLD]

Like Jill said, we need to know how old he is and about what he weighs. Also, what exactly you are calling "feed". Is it a premixed show ration? If so what kind (like Acco developer or Fast Forward Finisher or what?) and what % protein and energy is it?

To grow and develop properly, a good rule of thumb is to feed 2.5 - 3% of bodyweght. At 2.5% of bodyweight, 6 1/2 lbs of feed twice a day is about right for a 520 lb calf. If he's bigger, chances are he needs more.

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

ok he was born the end of sept. and he weights 623lbs, there is no holding necessary he has been on feed since april. What i call feed is a mixture that one of the local showman made up> 11-12 steers grand 1 reserve and same with pigs. i'll have to look whenever i get home to see what the % protein is and enery is.

 

[farmboy]

can you pm the recipe to me  ;D 11-12 is pretty good

 

[OH Breeder]

You need to decrease the protein and increase the fat if you want to stop the growth. Oats will grow and is what is usually used in a grower ration. Of course you raise the fat and you will loose some hair because you turn up the internal heat. If that makes sense. We feed 70% corn and 30% oats when getting them fat. When growing them 60% 40% depending on the calf.

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

ok i need him to grow taller not to grow fat, i have till march to get him 1000-1200lbs it depends on what he weights in at in sept.

You need to decrease the protein and increase the fat if you want to stop the growth. Oats will grow and is what is usually used in a grower ration. Of course you raise the fat and you will loose some hair because you turn up the internal heat. If that makes sense. We feed 70% corn and 30% oats when getting them fat. When growing them 60% 40% depending on the calf.

 

[OH Breeder]

Okay,
You have til March 1 so you have 6 months. 623#s today and you want him at 1200 in March. You need 577#'s between now and then. If you divide that out, 96#'s a month or about 3.25#'s a day. That may be pretty aggressive. do you have a feed specialist in your area that can help you evaluate your steer? If not it would be helpful to have someone come and take a look at him and help you come up with a feed plan. It sounds like to me you need to find a happy medium with growth and gain. I know there are more intelligent folks than me on here.

 

[showcattlegal]

I would feed a grower ration feed. It has more protain then fat. you need him to grow but you also need to put some fat on him or he isn't going to look very good come fair time.

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

ok, I can only have him up to 800lbs (fair rules) by sept.8 and then after that weight in he has to gain 2lbs a day till fair to meet our required weight. Right now on all the oats and hardly no feed hes gaining 2.5lbs a day.Every one keeps telling me we need to grow him, and they keep saying just keep feeding him oats and i didnt know if anyone else know any diffrent way to try to get him to grow.ok heres a picture of him completely wet down.

Okay,
You have til March 1 so you have 6 months. 623#s today and you want him at 1200 in March. You need 577#'s between now and then. If you divide that out, 96#'s a month or about 3.25#'s a day. That may be pretty aggressive. do you have a feed specialist in your area that can help you evaluate your steer? If not it would be helpful to have someone come and take a look at him and help you come up with a feed plan. It sounds like to me you need to find a happy medium with growth and gain. I know there are more intelligent folks than me on here.

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

The stuff were feeding is like a grower rotation. I think hes going to be an easy one to finsh.

I would feed a grower ration feed. It has more protain then fat. you need him to grow but you also need to put some fat on him or he isn't going to look very good come fair time.

 

[red]

unfortunately, genetics may prevent him from getting a certain frame score. He certainly looks like he has plenty of covering for that age & weight.

Red

 

[OH Breeder]

I agree with Red, he looks like he is covering pretty good. A grower ration seems like it might be good for him. How often to you trim his feet? Totally different subject.

 

[Jill]

We are showing a 10-25-06 heifer that I weighed this morning and she weighs 902,  we have pushed her, but 625 seems very small for that age calf, but if you can only be at 800 in Sept. you are probably right on target.  Make sure you have good mineral and vitamins for him, the recipe you have at the top does not meet his nutritional needs that would why he looks like he is loosing muscle and not growing as you would like.  Check with you local feed store and either get a premixed feed our have them come up with a balanced recipe for you. Good Luck

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

By march he might have his feet trimmed 3 times.

I agree with Red, he looks like he is covering pretty good. A grower ration seems like it might be good for him. How often to you trim his feet? Totally different subject.

 

[OH Breeder]

By march he might have his feet trimmed 3 times.

I agree with Red, he looks like he is covering pretty good. A grower ration seems like it might be good for him. How often to you trim his feet? Totally different subject.

I was always taught to have the feet trimmed 6-8 weeks on schedule. He looks like he could be brought up on his toes some more. Just me. Maybe I am not seeing right. If my math is right, 8 weeks between now and March would be about 4 times. I just think that feet are so important keeping a calf sound and moving in the right direction.

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

This calf HAS NOT been pushed or anything we are trying to make a good weight for the sept. weightin as from then to the final he has to gain 2lbs a day and we are guesing hes going to finsh out pretty small, some say 1100lbs and others say 1200-1250lbs. what minerals and vitamins does he need?? just a salt block or mineral black??

We are showing a 10-25-06 heifer that I weighed this morning and she weighs 902,  we have pushed her, but 625 seems very small for that age calf, but if you can only be at 800 in Sept. you are probably right on target.  Make sure you have good mineral and vitamins for him, the recipe you have at the top does not meet his nutritional needs that would why he looks like he is loosing muscle and not growing as you would like.  Check with you local feed store and either get a premixed feed our have them come up with a balanced recipe for you. Good Luck

 

[chambero]

We've got three Sep calves in our barn right now that weighed between 730 and 780 on July 1 and a January calf that weighed 590 that same day.  You are definitely on the light side for that age but not severely.  As others said, get the calf on a balanced ration and just let him eat.  He should be fine.  Changing one's feed constantly can mess them up.

 

[red]

I keep both a loose mineral & a white salt block for my calves. Check w/ your feed store on what is the best for your area.

Red

 

[Clubcalfshowgirl]

yes he's small he's being held back also tho, he cant be over 800lbs by sept.8th and i'm allready going to have to take him off feed and water to make a decent weight for the final show, hes a small framed calf and will only mature at 1100-1200lbs if lucky. i have a aug. steer and he weights 834lbs 7/10!! But my Aug. steer is being pushed and gets basically all he will eat and came in from mississippi.

We've got three Sep calves in our barn right now that weighed between 730 and 780 on July 1 and a January calf that weighed 590 that same day.  You are definitely on the light side for that age but not severely.  As others said, get the calf on a balanced ration and just let him eat.  He should be fine.  Changing one's feed constantly can mess them up.